Universe Infinite Canteen

Old Wang would be cooking in the kitchen, while Ma Lu would be responsible for entertaining guests in the front hall, which is the traditional husband and wife restaurant model.

There was no issue on Old Wang's side, Ma Lu had asked him already, and with his cooking speed, one man was enough to handle it. He could support a medium-sized restaurant all by himself, saving the money that would otherwise be spent on hiring assistants.

However, on Ma Lu's side, it was highly likely that one person would not be able to manage, especially since the storefront was 90 square meters. Even subtracting the 25 square meters for the kitchen, there was still more than 60 square meters to cover.

It was much larger than his initial plan, and in fact, had already moved beyond the category of a small, low-end eatery.

In addition to serving dishes and customer service, Ma Lu would also have to double as a cashier and cleaner. Unless he was a Six-armed Ancient Ape with six hands, it was indeed too much for one person, particularly during peak dining hours.

So he would still need to hire one or two waiters, and considering shift rotations, two would be best.

There had to be at least one with a fairly fixed schedule, while the other could have a bit more flexibility.

If really necessary, he could hire some university students as part-time workers. As everyone knows, university students are a high-quality yet inexpensive labor force.

After Ma Lu finished asking, He Xiaoqian still did not respond.

So Ma Lu added, "Oh right, the working hours for now are from 10:30 in the morning to 8:00 at night, five days a week, but which five days might not be fixed. If we finish selling the prepared food early, we will close sooner, and you can go home after cleaning up.

"As for the base salary, it's now 4000, and we will contribute to the social security and housing fund. If the restaurant's sales are high, there will also be a bonus, but I haven't decided on the specific standards yet. We'll talk about it later. You can think about it, no rush, just give me an answer before next week."

"Also..." Ma Lu slapped his forehead and started to paint a picture, "You want to be a barista, right? Old Wang is a really great barista. If he has time after work, maybe he could teach you some coffee brewing techniques."

"Really?" He Xiaoqian's eyes widened.

Old Wang nodded, "Beverages are also a type of cuisine, and as a chef, of course, I must master that too."

"Wow, in that case, I want to be a waitress, and we don't need a week, we can start right now," He Xiaoqian said excitedly.

"Don't rush, my restaurant hasn't opened yet," Ma Lu said. "Just wait a little longer. But if you're sure, we can sign the contract ahead of time one of these days."

"No problem, Bro Ma, oh no, I should call you Boss now."

"Hahaha."

Being called Boss made Ma Lu feel light-hearted, dispelling much of the gloom from his encounter with Yu Yitong.

Indeed, it was always better to spend more time with kind-hearted girls like He Xiaoqian who speak gently, think innocently, have a good temper, and can dance. It made one feel refreshed just being around them.

Working together would also help relieve fatigue. Find exclusive stories on мѵʟ

On the contrary, just seeing Yu Yitong was aggravating. So why is there such a big difference between people?

Having recruited the restaurant's first employee, Ma Lu did not head straight home, but instead took another trip to the shop.

Mainly, he went to inform Zhen Ye upstairs that the renovation team would be entering the venue the day after tomorrow and to ask if she wanted to take this opportunity to refurbish her living space as well.

Zhen Ye was the same as always, wearing that oversized sweatshirt and pajama pants, curled up at home playing video games.

However, after the last incident, her relationship with Ma Lu had become much more intimate, and she did not keep him out anymore.

As soon as Ma Lu rang the doorbell, she came down to open the door with the controller in hand.

But this didn't feel quite right; in the late hours of the night, a casually acquainted person of the opposite sex was so trustworthy, without any guard up at all.

Ma Lu had just lamented over He Xiaoqian's simplicity, and then he encountered someone even more simplistic-minded. Well, at least He Xiaoqian had some social experience and a bit of self-protection awareness, knowing not to meet with the "big brothers" from her live stream sessions.

Zhen Ye was the one lacking in common sense, as blank as a sheet of paper when it came to many things.

This time Ma Lu didn't enter the place, and finished stating what he had come for outside. Yet, he noticed that Zhen Ye seemed distracted, her gaze frequently drifting to the backpack behind him.

"What are you looking at?"

"Do you still have... the meat pies... from last time?"

Zhen Ye's eyes were full of hope, like a dirty little stray dog that had suddenly popped up in a flower bed waiting to be fed.

"What? Oh, you're talking about roujiamo."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Ye nodded repeatedly.

"They're all gone," Ma Lu said, spreading his hands.

Zhen Ye looked a bit disappointed.

"You want to eat more?"

The girl nodded once again.

"I see... Well, there's still a bit of the meat left in the fridge from before, I think I could make one or two more, but it's too late now."

Zhen Ye pulled out several sheets of paper from underneath her clothing and handed them over.

Ma Lu took them and realized they were the rental contract.

"Huh?"

Zhen Ye helped flip to the last page and pointed at the clause that read "Party B promises to include two meals per day for Party A."

Ma Lu was somewhat amused and exasperated because that sentence wasn't in the original contract at all, but something Zhen Ye had added herself with a ballpoint pen, the handwriting all curly and twisted.

He indeed had made a similar promise back then, thinking he could whip up something to appease Zhen Ye once the shop was open.

But he had forgotten to exclude the period before the shop opened, and arguing about it now would make him seem unreliable.

Moreover, Zhen Ye's stomach started growling at that moment.

Ma Lu glanced at his phone, and it was already half-past eight.

"Haven't you had dinner yet?"

Zhen Ye nodded vigorously.

"Shall I order some takeout for you?"

Preparing roujiamo at this hour was definitely too late, the round trip alone would take an hour, and the Earth Dragon Meat would need to be defrosted and stewed for another two or three hours.

Zhen Ye's face showed her disappointment.

Suddenly, Ma Lu realized he might have underestimated the impact of the Earth Dragon Meat roujiamo he had casually given away last time.

That was a recipe with a Deliciousness Index of ★★★.

Before meeting him, Zhen Ye's diet alternated between instant noodles and takeout, but since she had no reference point, she was completely content with it.

Even subconsciously, she had been branded with the belief that "this is what food in the world tastes like."

It wasn't until last week when she tasted the Earth Dragon Meat roujiamo that she was utterly overwhelmed by its supreme deliciousness!

From her soul to her body, she surrendered to the overwhelming power of this food!!!

In fact, just now Ma Lu might have misunderstood, Zhen Ye racing down from upstairs so quickly, not out of trust in him, or a lack of common sense, but purely because she thought he came to feed her those meat pies from last time.

Ma Lu sighed, "Never mind, just wait. There's definitely no meat pies today, but I'll see if I can get Old Wang to make something else to eat, is there a supermarket nearby where I can buy vegetables?"